Purcell Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Purcell Family History

Purcell Family History

The ancient origin of the name Purcell was found in the irishsurnames.com archives.

Surnames developed a wide number of variants over the centuries. Many different spelling variations of the same name can be traced back to a single original root. Also, when a bearer of a name emigrated from Ireland it was not uncommon that their original name would be incorrectly transcribed in the record books upon arrival at their new location. Some names have dozens of spelling variations. Some Surnames were also altered over the years based on how they sounded phonetically, by their sound, and depending on the prevailing political conditions it may have been advantageous to change a name from one language to another. This was especially so in Ireland where most Gaelic names were 'anglicized' at some stage.

Variants of the name Purcell include Purtill, Purtell and Purssell. This name was introduced into Ireland with the Normans after the Anglo-Norman invasion of 1172, being derived from the French word 'porcel'. The seat of the head of the family is in the ruined Castle of Loughmoe, a well known landmark near Thurles. The Chief was known as the Baron of Loughmoe, a title conferred by the first Earl of Ormond, as Lord of the Palatinate. In Irish the name is written Puirseil. The Purcells are a good example of the saying 'hiberniores hibernicus ipsis', for not only are they found as Bishops of Ferns and Waterford but as staunch fighters for the Irish cause. The variants Purtill and Purtell are numerous in County Tipperary while Purcell is numerous in Clare and Kilkenny as well as in most of the Counties of Munster.The Purcell family crest (or coat of arms) came into existence many centuries ago. The process of creating these coats of arms began as early as the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this, including Ireland. The new more formalized art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own family crest, coat of arms, including Purcell descendants.